Rotary broom.



C. H. BUTLER.

ROTARY BROOM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, F913.

1,168,849. Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

MINI? WITNESSES: INVESTOR STAES CHARLES H. BUTLER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY BROOM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

mama Jan. 1a, 1916.

Application filed May 5, 1918. Serial No. 765,491.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. Burma, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Brooms, of

' which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a broom, brush, or similar article, and particularly pertains to a rotary broom which is especially adapted for use in street sweeping operations.

It is the object of this invention to provide.

be worn to a point close to their mounting.

without destroying their efiiciency.

A further object is to rovide a construction by which the old bristles'may be easily and quickly removedfrom the back and new bristles remounted thereon.

A further object is to provide a rotary broom, particularly adapted for suction cleaning apparatus, which at all times will be open through the center so that the dust raised by the rolling action may be drawn directly through, as well as around the broom.

Further objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention comprises a broom with a V-shaped back portion, a wedge-shaped, bristle-retaining bar adapted to extend into the V-shaped back, means for drawing the bar into the back to engage the bristles and holding the bar in its engaging position, and an adjustable support for the back portion.

It also comprises details of construction which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a broom or brush constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section showing the manner of arranging and mounting the brooms on a rotary sweeper. Fig. 3 is a detail section of the broom as assembled and supported on its adjustable mounting. Fig. 4 is a detail in section illustrating the manner of assembling the broom.

In the drawin s A represents the back of the broom, whic is V-shaped in cross section to form a channel extending longitudinally of the back A and having inclined walls. The bristles or brush portion is indicated at 2; these bristles being formed, preferabl of palm fiber, but wires, broom corn or 1i e material may be employed, if desired. The bristles 2 are connected to the back A by means of a wedge-shaped keybar 3, which is adapted to extend into the V- shaped channel formed therein.

In assembling the broom, the back A is inverted, as shown in Fig. 4, and the bristles 2 are laid thereon so as to rest on the back at a point intermediate their ends. The bristles 2 are-spread and evenly distributed throughout the length of the back A at a suitable depth which varies according to the character of the finished broom desired. The key bar3 is then inverted and positioned on top of the bristles 2 at a point over the V- shaped back A, as shown in Fig. 4, and is then crowded into the channel so that it will assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and in full lines in'Fig. 3. Bolts 4 are then passed through perforations 5 and 6 in the ar 3 and plate A respectively,as shown in Fig. 3, and are secured in position by means of nuts 7 which are screwed on the threaded outer ends of the bolts 4 and bear against saddle blocks 8 set astride of the ridge of the back A, and through which the bolts 4 extend.

When the bristles 2 are of such thickness or strength as to. prevent the bar 3 being readily. inserted in 1ts innermost position in,

the back A, the bolts 4 are formed of suflicient length to admit of being inserted through the bar 3 and, the back A before the bar 3 reaches its innermost position, so that the nuts 7 may be engaged at the threaded outer ends of the bolts 4 and screwed thereon in such a manner as to draw the bar 4 into its innermost position and thereby rigidly clamp the bristles 2 between the outer walls of the bar 3 and the inner walls of the back A, as shown in Fig. 3. By this con struction a broom is formed having two rows of bristles which diverge outwardly in relation to each other from the back A.

It is manifest that the back A may be attached, to any suitable support according to the use to which the broom is to be put. In the present case the broom is shown as applied to a rotary street sweeper, and the means for mounting the broom is shown as consisting of brackets 9 rigidly mounted on a a back A and formed with a vertical face having one or more projections thereon,

which projections are adapted to be inserted in notches 11 formed on approximately radial arms 12, rigidly mounted on flanges 13, secured. to a rotary shaft 14:. The arms 12 are formed with longitudinal slots 15 through which bolts 16, passing through the brackets 9, extend; nuts 17 being screwed on the threaded outer ends of the bolts 16 in such a manner as to clamp the brackets 9 against thearms 12 with the projections 10.

on the brackets extending into the notches be always kept at full diameter independent 2 '11. This construction permits of the general brooms being adjusted at any desired osition, radially, on the armsv 12 as the ristles wear .down so that the broom may of the length of the bristles. -It ismanifest that any number of brooms maybe arranged around the shaft 14; in this case a series ofeight being employed, as shown in Fig. '2.

In mounting the broomson the shaft 14,

"such a manner that the bristles may be practically worn away before necessitating their renewal. By offsetting the arms 12 to dispose each row of bristles in the lane of a diameter of the sweeper, the sur ace swept is tangent to the circumference of the sweeper at a point lying in a diameter so A that ever rowworks equally well, whatever length 't e bristles are, and allows each broom to be reversed at any time or to be used anywhere in the sweeper. When the bristles have become worn to such an extent as to require their renewal, the key bars 3 are removed from the backs A by unscrewing the nuts 7 and withdrawing the bolts 4 from the backs A. The old bristles may then be readily removed and new bristles replaced in the backs A, as before described.

An important feature of this invention resides in arrangingthe bristles in thin divergent rows so as to form a broom of open construction, as it has been ascertained that greater efliciency is obtained in sweeping operations where the bristles are thus arranged than where the same amount of the bristles may be easily and quickly renewed, the cost of upkeep of the sweeping apparatus is greatly reduced. This isan important factor in street cleaning Work where the bristles are subjected to hard wear and are consequently short-lived. This invention eliminates the necessity ofreplacing the entire broom when the bristles are worn out.

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent f A rotary broom comprising flangemem bers, radial arms secured to the flange mem- Having thus described myinvention, what here, each of the arms having notches-in one, I

of the side faces thereof, a relatively long brackr member secured to each arm, said bracket members'having projections engaging within the notches of the arms, each of said bracket members including a right angle portion having its under side cut out to form a seat, a curved back fitted in the cut out portions of the brackets, broom bristles supported by'the back; saddle members, means extending longitudinally of the bristles and through the saddle members for holding the broom bristles to the. back, means adapted to hold the back in engagement with the cut. out portions of the brackets, and independent means for securin the brackets to the radial arms.

11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. BUTLER. Witnesses: JOHN H. HERRING,

W. HnALnr. 

